


The Reunion

by TwentyPicarats



Series: Randall's Return [1]
Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 07:57:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7161431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwentyPicarats/pseuds/TwentyPicarats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hershel leaves Monte d'Or quietly amidst the celebrations of Randall's return, feeling as though his presence makes no difference in their lives. However, at least one person begs to differ.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Reunion

      They had make the hike back up from the city of Monte d'Or after gathering their things mere moments after Randall's revelation. Emmy and Luke chatted amongst each other, having fallen a little out of step with Hershel, who was carrying his small luggage in silence a little ways ahead of them. He could hear them talking about their adventures, about Luke's justified hatred for Descole, about how surprised they were at how well Randall performed his tricks. But everytime the redheads name was mentioned, Hershel moved just a little faster for a moment or two. He just wanted to go safely back to London, and hole himself up in his study for weeks to write his report for Dean Delmona.

            He didn't want to deal with any of this.

      It was when the Laytonmobile came into sight that he finally tuned fully into what Emmy and Luke were saying, picking up mid-sentence as Luke expressed something in a timid, concerned voice;

"...quiet since we left."

      This was met with an audible pat on the shoulder that made the young apprentice squeak and wince, but Emmy's booming voice broke that awkwardness moments later;

"Come now, Luke, the professor gets buried in his thoughts all the time! He is a busy man. He's probably got a lot on his mind."

      There were a few moments of dissatisfying silence, and there was a low, grumbled murmur from Luke, something along the lines of;

"We didn't even get to say goodbye..."

      Hershel worked with some amount of urgency, loading their suitcases into the car, while wistfully looking out towards the shattered city. He was distracted for a second, gripping the rim of his signature top hat and approaching the cliff, looking out towards the city. One thing was for sure, Monte d'Or really was the city of miracles. And Hershel felt it necessary to take one final look at it, since he'd likely not be returning. Everyone in Stansbury had moved on in his absence, after all. He had no place here.

            Even Randall had exclusively divided his attention between Henry and Angela.

      Those thoughts snapped him out of his trace-like state, and he noticed both Luke and Emmy staring at him. Once they noticed Hershel snap back in, he gave them a smile, a tip of the top hat, and leaned back against the Laytonmobile. Emmy gave him a smile back, and took out her camera, snapping a few pictures and cheerfully adding;

"This was a picture-perfect ending. Everything seems to have turned out for the best."

      He was still bogged down with thoughts, but, near immediately Hershel managed to respond with a small, confident;

"Agreed."

      Small footsteps approached the two of them, and the small, pre-pubescent voice of the young apprentice piped up as well;

"But I still have lots of questions about the Azran civilisation, Professor. I mean, how were they able to build all those structures that were below Monte d'Or?"

      That small voice grabbed Hershel's full attention. Luke, being as young as he was, was a bright boy, and Hershel wanted to be the best rolemodel and gentleman he could be for the young lad.

"Indeed. I was wondering that myself. The Azran were much more advanced than I'd suspected."

      He was sure he heard a passing comment from Emmy, but paid it no mind, and a mere moment after, Luke had piped up once again, with excitement lacing his voice;

"But Professor, Henry turned out to be an amazing person! He waited so long for his friend to return home, and, everything he built was for Randall! It was all quite miraculous!"

      Despite that name causing him to lose focus for a moment, he quickly brought himself back by pushing his weight off the car, standing at alert with a warm smile on his face. His voice was calm and warm when he responded to Luke, it was a wonderful chance for a lesson on morality;

"The greatest achievement is often the one that is the most selfless."

"What other city can claim that it was built on a foundation of loyalty and friendship?"

      Hershel smiled at Emmy's sudden input. As much as that friendship no longer included him, he could still take at least a little joy in knowing Randall had returned home, and in was in the loving arms of...

            Quickly, he had to shake himself from this train of thought.

"None that I know of. Quite fitting. It truly is the City of Miracles."

      Emmy and Luke began to chat once again, causing Hershel time to himself. He leaned back against the car, his smile faltering and his thoughts travelling again. He had waited eighteen years for Randall's return, for more reasons than worry or guilt. But if even Randall has moved on without him...

            He needs to pick up his own pieces and move on as well.

      There was a small sigh that escaped him after what felt like hours. He really just wanted to get in the car and go home, but it seemed Luke and Emmy wanted to look out at the gorgeous sight of the city just a little longer. Hershel really wasn't sure what his rush was, it wasn't like anyone was looking for them. They hadn't been secretive when they left. It was a tip of the top hat and a casual stroll away from the scene playing out in front of the museum. They were probably still there. His room at the hotel had probably already been filled.

      But he couldn't stop his arms from snaking around himself. He didn't want to believe that after eighteen years, all of this meant nothing. His worrying, his waiting, he's only even had one relationship since Randall's disappearance, even if he knew Randall was committed to Angela. It was difficult to just move on when he had seen his face for the first time in eighteen years. He decided, the best course of action was to go sit in the car. He'd take a nap if he needed to, until Emmy and Luke were ready to go.

      Once he managed to will his legs to move, he, in a near robotic manner, moved to enter the passenger side of the car, Emmy would be the one driving home today, he didn't feel he could. Not with how bogged with stress he was at the moment. His eyes widened when looked up at the road they'd be taking back, there was a man donning a white suit, panting, standing a few feet behind the car with fists clenched and pain in his eyes.

"Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye...!?"

      There was a wince at the pain tracing Randall's tone, and he shifted back a little, gripping the brim of his top hat as a sort of comfort. He didn't even know how to respond at first, he was honestly shocked Randall was even coming up to see them, and wasn't down getting accustomed to Monte d'Or. When Hershel finally spoke again, his tone was entirely different, hurt and scared.

"I thought it would be for the best... long goodbyes are always painful."

      After a moment of stunned silence, Randall tightly shut his eyes and shook his head rapidly. Did he not want to accept Hershel leaving so quickly? But it appeared that he had moved on and taken more of a liking to Angela and Henry than he ever had to Hershel himself. Why was he chasing him, though? Why was he up here at the edge of a cliff, shaking and looking absolutely distraught?

"You can't just leave, Hershel!! I don't want you to just..."

            He gathered himself, wiping at stubborn tears in his eyes

"I don't want you to just leave my life again!! I know you, I've read all about you, if you leave, you aren't going to come back, are you!? I'll... I'll never see you again!"

      Seeing Hershel look away was all the answer he needed. Hershel was really just going to walk out of his life and not come back. Did he even care about Randall at all any longer? Or had he completely forgotten about Randall prior to the events of Monte d'Or? He didn't know, but frankly, he wanted answers. When he started taking hesitant steps forward, he saw Hershel's eyes widen and take a few steps back, holding his hands out defensively in front of him. There was panic in his voice when Hershel spoke next;

"Wait-- Randall-- what are you doing?"

      Those steps stopped immediately when he saw Randall's eyes welled up with tears, stubborn tears the now adult Ascot was refusing to let fall. He could see how hard Randall was biting on his lips, the way his shoulders heaved and trembled with each shaky breath he took. Was he really crying over all of this? Hershel let Randall approach, and saw the other stop a foot or two away from him. It was clear how badly he was struggling not to cry;

"You don't care at all, do you? You don't care about any of us anymore...!"

"That's not true, Randall. I'm leaving because... because I care."

      Fury danced in Randall's eyes for a second, but soon fell back to a solemn sorrow. Hershel's gut was twisting painfully, and he barely managed to will himself to keep eye contact with his long-lost friend. He took a few hesitant steps forward, each holding the same weight as his day long trek back to Stansbury, and firmly grabbed each of Randall's shoulders.

"Your life will be easier if I'm no longer in it."

      Tears sprang to life, streaking down Randall's cheeks, he was soon reduced to pitiful crying, and before Hershel could even react, he had lunged forward, his arms locking around Hershel, grabbing handfuls of his brown jacket and just dissolving into tears against his shoulder. Pain ignited in Hershel's eyes, and his own arms lurched to grip at his back, hugging him tighter than he's hugged anyone in his life. Before he could register what was happening...

            They were both shaking, sobbing against one another.

      Randall's hug wasn't ending, so Hershel wouldn't let his slack either. It's been eighteen years since they've seen one another, after all. And it honestly seemed like they both needed this emotional vent, and even as teenagers, they were always the others go-to for help. It seems like that didn't change.

      Emmy and Luke were both stunned speechless, they had never seen their professor acting in such a way before. They've never seen him hug anyone, they've never seen him cry, they've never seen him cling to someone so helplessly and desperately, they've definitely never seen that returned. Who exactly was Randall to him? Did he just regress back to a teenage state when he's around?

      They pondered this until the two of them both mutually pulled back from the hug. Randall grabbed Hershel's wrists softly, holding him there, like he wasn't ready to let him go yet.

"Randall I'm... I'm sure Angela is waiting for you."

      Hershel's voice is hoarse and weighed down with the stress of the tears that had just finished falling. He didn't even have a free hand to wipe the streaked tears off his face. His eyes were partway shut, his normal gentlemanly smile was gone, diminished to a quivering pout. Hershel's hands had soon returned to their place on Randall's shoulders, and he finally looked away. He felt ashamed, ashamed that he brought Randall to this point, and ashamed that he was pushing him away like this.

"You're wrong, Hershel."

      Two eyes snapped back up, widening and just staring at the man in front of him, who didn't seem upset by what he had just said.

"Eighteen years ago, I would have lept from whatever puzzle I was doing to rush to her side, but things are different now. I've had eighteen years to move on. You were a smart guy, Hersh, you know her relationship with Henry is anything but a sham. But I can be happy for them, they were willing to end their relationship to make me happy... and I could never ask for that."

"So now what are you going to do?"

      Randall seemed to genuinely mull this over for a little while, keeping his hands on Hershel's wrists while his brow scrunched in silent concentration. It was always a cute look on the archaeologist, and even after all these years, that face hadn't changed. His eyes finally drew back to life, looking up at Hershel with fierce determination;

"I'm going to pick up right where I left off. I'm going to move to London and try and get into Gressenheller! It'll take a while to find a place but, I can let Henry and Angela use the bank account for anything they need, and I'll have access to it too, so maybe I can find somewhe--"

"I could let you stay with me. I live rather close to the university. My flat isn't near as lavish as anything in Monte d'Or, but it's home."

      As much as it wasn't gentlemanly to cut someone off, he knew Randall was prone to going on tangents. His eyes lit up, and his mouth hung open for a few seconds, like this was the most shocking piece of news to ever cross his path.

"You'd really do that for me? Really? And I wouldn't be bothering you?"

"Hardly any more than you did when we were young."

      Finally there was a laugh and a smile from Randall, who, in his excitement, moved forward and took Hershel's lips in a kiss. Emmy and Luke both gasped, and Hershel's eyes were wide for a few moments, before drifting shut as he finally reciprocated, gripping a little bit on Randall's shoulders and leaning a little more of his weight against him.

      When they parted, their silence seemed natural, anything but awkward. They were trying to process what had happened, the fact that they had kissed, the fact that the other was kissing right on back, everything seemed to be a blur, and it was a spur of the moment decision on Randall's part, a shot in the dark.

            But not an unpleasant one.

"Hersh I-- didn't know you actually--"

      Obviously the professor was now embarrassed, glancing away with what appeared to be a flushed red blush across his olive-toned skin. Clearly that wasn't reciprocation to be kind, not that he ever figured Hershel was the kind of person that would do that. But seeing it and thinking it were entirely different things. Randall had honestly had a few crushes on Hershel throughout their teenage years together, and he had grown to be a rather attractive man. He really couldn't say he'd hate his life at all if he woke up beside Hershel.

            It may actually even be a more enjoyable experience than he's letting himself believe.

      Hershel was a flustered mess, and couldn't seem to help withdrawing his hands from Randall's shoulder, one nervously falling limp at his side, the other tugging the brim of his top hat over his eyes.

"Aww c'mon Hersh, I told you when we were kids that if things didn't work out with Angela and I that I'd hit on you."

      His voice was playful, and his grin was something to behold, he places a hand on Hershel's cheek, and could feel the gentlemans face heating up beneath his fingertips. He obviously wasn't a man used to romance.

"P-Perhaps I can... allow that."

      He saw Randall's eyes just ignite with hope and joy, and he grabbed both of Hershel's hands with an impressively large grin on his face;

"It'll be great! We can eat breakfast together and talk about our days and I can get my license so I can drop you off at wo--"

"Before anything, Randall, you'd need to say your goodbyes to everyone here in Monte d'Or, and gather any belongings you may have brought with you."

      It seems Randall hadn't even considered that, and nods firmly at Hershel. He looks absolutely determined to make this work out perfectly. He went to speak again, but was cut off by the warm tones of his possible significant other;

"How about you go back down to Monte d'Or, and I'll drive Emmy and Luke back to London. A round trip there and back should give you plenty of time to say your goodbyes, and gather your things. If you need more time, I'll return to Monte d'Or once I've arrived back, and I'll wait with you there. That way we can head home together, eighteen years is quite some time to have gone without so much as a letter."

      Randall seemed perfectly content with this idea, and leaned in again to give Hershel a hasty kiss, which was promptly returned without so much as a second thought. He seemed full of energy again, and waved everyone goodbye as he made his hasty return to Monte d'Or. This caused the gentleman to smile, tilting his hat back into position and sighing contently. He couldn't recall the last time he was this happy.

"I guess I was wrong when I called Angela your lost love, wasn't I professor?"

      She approched, and nudged him in the side with her elbow. He found himself flustering a little bit, but gave her a reserved smile nonetheless.

"Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn. One must learn to simply let life take them down an unexpected path every now and again. Just because it's different..."

"Doesn't mean it's bad or scary, right Professor?"

      There was that chipper young boy again, Hershel smiled down at him, placing a hand on the top of his head

"Precisely, Luke. I can't see any harm in giving Randall a chance. Perhaps it will work, and it may not, as well. But Randall was never someone who'd become awkward around a previous partner, so even if it doesn't work, we can take pride in our attempt."

      He smiles, and looks fondly towards the city at long last, his eyes falling half-lidded as pleasant feelings flooded him to his very core;

"Besides, it was Randall that always told me; no risk, no glory."


End file.
